Kearons (crater)

Kearons

LRO WAC image
Coordinates 11°24′S 112°36′W / 11.4°S 112.6°W / -11.4; -112.6Coordinates: 11°24′S 112°36′W / 11.4°S 112.6°W / -11.4; -112.6
Diameter 23 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 113° at sunrise
Eponym William M. Kearons
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image, facing southwest

Kearons is a small lunar crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, to the northwest of the Mare Orientale impact basin, in the outer skirt of ejecta that surrounds the Montes Cordillera range. It is a relatively isolated crater, possibly because any nearby features have been buried under the ejecta. Some distance to the south is the crater Lewis, and to the north-northeast lies Grachev.

The rim of this crater forms a rounded polygon, with a sharp edge that has a small craterlet across the northwestern side. The inner wall and interior floor are relatively featureless. About a crater diameter to the southwest of Kearons is a smaller crater that has a modest ray system, with rays extending to the north, south, and southwest for up to 100 km.

This crater is named after William M. Kearons (1878-August 13, 1948), an American amateur astronomer who was notable for his photographs of the Sun. He was a minister at the Saint Lukes Episcopal Church in Fall River, Massachusetts.

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Kearons.

Kearons Latitude Longitude Diameter
U 10.5° S 115.9° W 13 km

References

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  • Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS. Retrieved 2007-08-05. 
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  • McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 2007-10-24. 
  • Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. 
  • Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6. 
  • Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3. 
  • Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4. 
  • Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3. 
  • Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6. 
  • Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1. 
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